Girl, 11, lured to park, gang raped

Moreno Valley police say the lone outstanding suspect in the
gang rape of an 11-year-old girl has been arrested.

Michael Sykes, 19, was arrested at a Moreno Valley home this
morning, police say.

On March 10, the girl was lured by an older girl into a Moreno
Valley park bathroom, police say, where a gang of six boys and a
19-year-old man raped her.

The other six boys and the girl who brought her to Victoriano
Park were arrested on suspicion of juvenile charges. Police have
not identified any of the boys because they are minors, but said
they are over 14 and could be charged as adults.

Both Sykes and the six boys were part of a known Moreno Valley
criminal street gang. Gang members frequently will gang rape female
members as part of a gang initiation, but this case was unusual
because it targeted an innocent victim, Moreno Valley police Lt.
Chad Bianco said.

Detectives said they could not release details of the rape when
it occurred 2 Â½-weeks ago, because they were still seeking
the other suspects.

The 11-year-old girl was at a shopping center near the corner of
Lassalle and Iris avenues about 6 p.m. March 10, when she was
approached by the older girl, who was an acquaintance, Bianco
said.

The older girl led the victim to Victoriano Park where the boys
and Sykes were waiting for her.

"It appears what happened is they were looking for a victim and
she was lured her back to the males waiting for her," Bianco
said.

Sheriff's Investigator Matt Diaz said Sunday that no further
details were immediately available on the 2 Â½-week-old case,
which was not publicly revealed until Sunday. He said it's not
uncommon for the department to avoid reporting a case right after
it happens because it could jeopardize the investigation.

The case is the second time in a month in which a girl has been
raped at an Inland-area park. In February, three boys were arrested
after a middle school student in Banning reported that a boy
sexually assaulted her while the two others held her down at
Roosevelt Williams Park. The boys and the victim attended nearby
Nicolette Middle School, the Sheriff's Department said.

Unlike that incident, the assault in Moreno Valley is
gang-related, said Capt. John Anderson, chief of the Moreno Valley
station. A sheriff's news release stated the six juveniles who were
caught were associated with a street gang in Moreno Valley.

Victoriano Park is between Los Cabos Drive and Horado Lane in
the south part of the city, not far from Moreno Valley College. The
park and surrounding neighborhoods don't have a high-crime
reputation, Anderson said Sunday evening.

He added it isn't particularly known as a gang area, either, and
called the rape an isolated incident.

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